Is Your Image Processing Workflow Non-Destructive?
Discussion
14 replies
Posted by Sean Bagshaw on February 22, 2011 at 2:58 PM
My latest article on the Photo Cascadia blog explores the concepts and philosophy of a non-destructive workflow in Photoshop. For the most flexibility, adjustability, quality and creative freedom in image developing I find that this is the way to go.
Your ideas for a non-destructive workflow are excellent and will greattly help those who are struggling, or are curious about preserving as much image data as possible.
--P
Posted by Jim DeWitt on February 22, 2011 at 4:11 PM
On the Mac side, Aperture is built around a non-destructive workflow.
Posted by Lon Overacker on February 22, 2011 at 4:33 PM
Thanks Sean, nice article. A couple of things that stand out for me. One, my workflow is quite similar in nature and therefore confirms for me that I'm not out in left field and that others have similar work flows. And two, what you wrote is generic in the sense that it talks about steps and a process to "build" and image, but does not get in to using Levels, Curves, Hue/Sat, sharpening, etc. etc. In other words, people should not get in a routine of doing the same technique or process for every image just because they think it's part of a workflow. Every image is different and will require different techniques to achieve a final result.
Which actually brings me to a question. I never set a white point. Is there a reason why you would automatically set a black and/or white point on every image? Or do you treat that on a per image basis as well?
Good stuff Sean,
Lon
Posted by John Mumaw on February 22, 2011 at 7:43 PM
That was really good, Sean.Just about mirrors my own workflow with one exception. IMO, no digital darkroom tutorial is complete without a mention of Tony Kuyper's brilliant Luminosity Mask actions, which are also non-destructive and should be a part of every PS based landscape photographers toolkit.
Posted by Sean Bagshaw on February 22, 2011 at 7:59 PM
Thanks for the comments guys!
Lon - yes, I agree! Image developing at its best is not like following an instruction manual...every image requires a different approach and that is largely based on the vision and intent of the photographer. A non-destructive workflow provides guidelines for how to move through the processing of an image with the most flexibility and quality while still allowing for creative freedom. The main concepts in a good workflow remain constant from image to image while the specific adjustments one makes may be different with every image.
To answer your great question about black/white points...depending on how it is done this is a very effective way to establish good foundational contrast in an image and is also effective for removing color casts. While it is important for many images it isn't something you would necessarily do with every image. In images that have a full tonal range and neutral lighting then a black/white point is appropriate. In images that have a wanted color cast (warm or cool) then it is better not to set a white point. For example, if you set a white point in an image that has alpenglow on snow, not only will you lose your warm snow color you will also create a serious blue shift in the shadows. In such images I often still set a black point to get good shadow contrast and deal with shadow color casts. In images that are meant to have low contrast (like a foggy or misty scene for example) you probably wouldn't want to set a black or white point since no point in the image reaches pure black or white tones. In this case color balance has to be achieved by different means.
Posted by Sean Bagshaw on February 22, 2011 at 8:06 PM
Right on John! I concur wholeheartedly! I frequently employ Tony's luminosity masking techniques in my workflow. They are non-destructive, in that they don't alter the background pixels, allow for future adjusting/tweaking while also maintaining the transparency of the layer stack so adjustments above and below can pass through. In fact, one of the layers in the snow image in the article includes one of Tony's non-destructive luminosity channel dodge/burn layers.
"Which actually brings me to a question. I never set a white point. Is there a reason why you would automatically set a black and/or white point on every image? Or do you treat that on a per image basis as well?"
Like Lon, I never set a whitepoint, and/or a black point either, and I've always wondered why some folks do this as a matter of course. I prefer to adjust my lowest and highest tonal values using either a Levels or Curves adjustment layer.
I totally agree with John regarding TK's tutorials and masks! I started using them by following Tony's procedure for creating them so that I could learn how they work. I then bit the (small) bulllet and purchased the set of actions--best money I have ever spent on software!
--P
Posted by Genny K. on February 22, 2011 at 8:25 PM
Sean,
Good article, and Preston noted, it should really help those who have questions about this issue.
One thing I would add: I do much of my dust spot removal in Adobe Raw. I think the tools there are actually easier to use for dust spots than in Photoshop itself.
Posted by John Mumaw on February 22, 2011 at 8:27 PM
I prefer using the grey eyedropper on a neutral color to remove unwanted color casts and then setting black/white points with Levels/Curves.
Don't mean to nitpick, as you've posted one of the better workflow articles that I've seen in some time.
Posted by Paul DeCesare on February 23, 2011 at 1:59 AM
Great article Sean, I'll be reading this through a couple of times (like with your Exposure Blending article). You helped me sort out a few workflow bumps I had going... I do use Adjustment Layers and preserve them, but then do an additional flattened layer on top of the stack for sharpening and output. That works fine until I have to make changes, then it's a hassle. You've inspired me to investigate Smart Objects a bit more, I kind of avoid the subject figuring it's complex, but no choice now. But Layers used to spook me at first years ago, and now I can't conceive the concept of NOT having layers and blend modes, so I guess we all grow. Thanks for the effort, been a great help!
Posted by Sean Bagshaw on February 23, 2011 at 11:41 AM
Preston - agreed...in images that don't have anything that has a true black or white tonal value black and white points aren't appropriate. Most images with any degree of contrast benefit from having the shadow values reach black at their darkest point. The improvement in contrast and clarity is often striking. A white point should only be set if something in the scene is actually white (clouds, snow, etc.). If the brightest value in the scene is yellow or red or orange and you set that as the white point then the entire color/contrast balance is compromised.
John - Your input is always valuable and astute. Your two step process of using the gray eyedropper to neutralize a cast and then using levels or curves to set contrast is one that I use often if I have a known neutral gray value. Otherwise I find myself clicking around hopping to get lucky. Now I prefer to set my black/white points individually in each color channel in either a levels or curves adjustment layer. This usually does a really good job of correcting WB and setting a good contrast level all in one step.
Sean, I agree regarding black point. I set my black values so that they look good in the print, which is where I am mostly concerned. I usually set my maximum black in a levels layer and adjust the separate channels to give me a pure maximum black. I have, on occasion, used the black eye dropper to set the black point. The method I use is image-dependent.
Your work on the tutorial is excellent and will be a great starting point for folks just getting into more complex editing.
On the subject of neutralizing a color cast, here's a method that usually works...
Create a copy of the background layer in the stack dirrectly above the background.
Select Filter>Blur>Average (Your image will now appear as one solid color)
Create a Curves or Levels adjustment layer above the blur layer.
Click the Grey eyedropper and then click anywhere on the solid color image. The image will now turn some shade of pure grey.
Turn off, or delete the blur layer.
Your image will now be in full color with any color cast removed.
OK, here's the 'but'. But, if an image has a strong yellow cast, for example, the procedure will remove the yellow cast as expected. However, the resulting image may now be too blue. You will then either have to dump the curves layer you just created and use the method John suggests, or tweak the curves layer to take out some of the blue.
This is a nice technique and stays with your non-destructive workflow concept.
--P
Posted by Sean Bagshaw on February 23, 2011 at 11:34 PM
Preston - wow...what a cool idea. I haven't heard of that technique before but it makes sense. Can't wait to try it out. Thanks!
Discussion
14 repliesGo to the article on PhotoCascadia.com
Your ideas for a non-destructive workflow are excellent and will greattly help those who are struggling, or are curious about preserving as much image data as possible.
--P
Which actually brings me to a question. I never set a white point. Is there a reason why you would automatically set a black and/or white point on every image? Or do you treat that on a per image basis as well?
Good stuff Sean,
Lon
Lon - yes, I agree! Image developing at its best is not like following an instruction manual...every image requires a different approach and that is largely based on the vision and intent of the photographer. A non-destructive workflow provides guidelines for how to move through the processing of an image with the most flexibility and quality while still allowing for creative freedom. The main concepts in a good workflow remain constant from image to image while the specific adjustments one makes may be different with every image.
To answer your great question about black/white points...depending on how it is done this is a very effective way to establish good foundational contrast in an image and is also effective for removing color casts. While it is important for many images it isn't something you would necessarily do with every image. In images that have a full tonal range and neutral lighting then a black/white point is appropriate. In images that have a wanted color cast (warm or cool) then it is better not to set a white point. For example, if you set a white point in an image that has alpenglow on snow, not only will you lose your warm snow color you will also create a serious blue shift in the shadows. In such images I often still set a black point to get good shadow contrast and deal with shadow color casts. In images that are meant to have low contrast (like a foggy or misty scene for example) you probably wouldn't want to set a black or white point since no point in the image reaches pure black or white tones. In this case color balance has to be achieved by different means.
Like Lon, I never set a whitepoint, and/or a black point either, and I've always wondered why some folks do this as a matter of course. I prefer to adjust my lowest and highest tonal values using either a Levels or Curves adjustment layer.
I totally agree with John regarding TK's tutorials and masks! I started using them by following Tony's procedure for creating them so that I could learn how they work. I then bit the (small) bulllet and purchased the set of actions--best money I have ever spent on software!
--P
Good article, and Preston noted, it should really help those who have questions about this issue.
One thing I would add: I do much of my dust spot removal in Adobe Raw. I think the tools there are actually easier to use for dust spots than in Photoshop itself.
Don't mean to nitpick, as you've posted one of the better workflow articles that I've seen in some time.
John - Your input is always valuable and astute. Your two step process of using the gray eyedropper to neutralize a cast and then using levels or curves to set contrast is one that I use often if I have a known neutral gray value. Otherwise I find myself clicking around hopping to get lucky. Now I prefer to set my black/white points individually in each color channel in either a levels or curves adjustment layer. This usually does a really good job of correcting WB and setting a good contrast level all in one step.
Your work on the tutorial is excellent and will be a great starting point for folks just getting into more complex editing.
On the subject of neutralizing a color cast, here's a method that usually works...
Create a copy of the background layer in the stack dirrectly above the background.
Select Filter>Blur>Average (Your image will now appear as one solid color)
Create a Curves or Levels adjustment layer above the blur layer.
Click the Grey eyedropper and then click anywhere on the solid color image. The image will now turn some shade of pure grey.
Turn off, or delete the blur layer.
Your image will now be in full color with any color cast removed.
OK, here's the 'but'. But, if an image has a strong yellow cast, for example, the procedure will remove the yellow cast as expected. However, the resulting image may now be too blue. You will then either have to dump the curves layer you just created and use the method John suggests, or tweak the curves layer to take out some of the blue.
This is a nice technique and stays with your non-destructive workflow concept.
--P
--P